1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates, generally, to devices that remove hair. More particularly, it relates to an epilator device that employs radio frequency radiation for permanent hair removal in the absence of pain.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Radio frequency (RF) hair removers, known as epilators, are well-known. Typically, they include a hand-held wand, a tweezer means including a pair of normally spaced apart tweezer members positioned at the leading end of the wand, a mechanical means controlled by an operator for causing the tweezer members to selectively converge and separate from one another, a remote RF generator, an operator-controlled on-off switch for activating the remote RF generator, and shielded power cord means for electrically connecting the remote RF generator and the tweezer members to comply with applicable federal standards relating to the emission of electromagnetic and RF interference.
There are a number of drawbacks with the known epilators. First of all, the remote RF generator and the power cord that interconnects it to the tweezer members must be shielded. Moreover, the mechanical means for causing the tweezer members to converge into hair-grasping relation to one another is somewhat complex and adds further manufacturing expense. Further, the on-off switch for activating the remote RF generator is a separate unit from said mechanical means for causing the tweezers to converge and that adds still another expense to the fabrication of the wand.
The known tweezer members are also prone to oxidation and thus have a truncated useful lifetime.
Still another shortcoming of known epilators is that they include tweezer members having sharp hair-gripping ends. As a result, a grasped hair may be cut off by the tweezers above the skin line so that it simply grows back. The sharp ends also provide a poor gripping means so that a strand of hair may simply slip out of the grasp of the tweezer members when the operator tries to pull the strand out.
The known epilators also include a power source, such as a battery, disposed within the wand. This prevents electrical connection of the wand to alternative remote power sources such as an automotive or motor home cigarette lighter plug, a remote battery pack, and the like.
However, in view of the art considered as a whole at the time the present invention was made, it was not obvious to those of ordinary skill in this art how the observed drawbacks could be overcome.